GameSpy: What do you think are the major mistakes made by previous MMO's and what are you doing to avoid them?

Kaplan: The single most important thing to remember when creating a game is that it must be FUN. When someone sits down to play your MMO, they are doing so to be entertained. An MMO should not feel like a job or obligation. It's very important not to fall into that trap of trying to manipulate your community, as if you're trying to run an ant farm. As a designer, it's your responsibility to create a world that's exciting, challenging, and FUN. It's not your job to play god over someone's play experience.

GameSpy: Is there one particular philosophy driving WoW's game design? If so, what is it?

Kaplan: "Easy to learn, hard to master." That's the philosophy we share amongst all the designers here at Blizzard. I remember one of my first discussions at Blizzard was actually with a senior designer, who gave me the perfect analogy of what a computer game needs to strive for. A four-year-old kid can learn and understand the game of chess in one sitting, yet it takes a person a lifetime to master. In the same sense, we want to provide a gaming experience that's very accessible for broad market players, while at the same time remain challenging for the

hardcore power gamers.

GameSpy: The game is extremely quest-oriented, with much of the players' time being directed to various quests. Are all the quests permanent once they've been placed in the game, or will there be limited time and monthly event/story-based quests that will appear for a while and then go away?

Kaplan: Some quests will only be available during certain "World Events." These events range from daily happenings to rare, once-a-month encounters.

GameSpy: Will the world evolve and its story move forward as time passes? Will cities and regions change hands as various factions contend with each other, and how much influence will players have over this process?

Kaplan: Yes, in fact we've already left certain areas of the world closed off, which we plan to open up at a later date. Our Creative Director, Chris Metzen, is the keeper of Warcraft lore and our great storyteller. He has been setting up the story for World of Warcraft from Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos through Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne. These games all come together to tell one rich story. So you might see some ominous chained doors in a zone that are impassable. One day those doors will lead to new content.

As for player interaction, we want players to feel like they are part of the big picture, not just looking at it. For instance, in one of our towns, Horde players will be challenged by invading Alliance raiders. If all the Horde players were to band together and thwart the attack, the town will remain viable and thriving. However, if players do not get involved in the fray, the town will become overrun and unusable for a short period of time.

GameSpy: Can you give us an overview of the game's economy? What is the world's currency and what are you doing to fight against inflation and provide money sinks?

Kaplan: The world's currency breaks down into gold, silver, and copper. Obviously, one of the best ways to curb inflation is to provide consistent money sinks. We can do this in a number of ways, including scaling training costs, giving additional perks such as added bank space or player mounts, and core gameplay mechanics like guild founding fees or guild tabards. Also, many spells and abilities will require consumable reagents or items. So, players will be encouraged to buy these items from other players or local merchants.

At the same time, we're able to do some cool things with our merchants as well, such as give them "rare spawn" inventories. So, you might find a rare item on a merchant that was previously unavailable elsewhere and feel the need to spend your money.

GameSpy: Warcraft is a very combat-oriented universe. Will players be able to play a completely non-violent crafting character?

Kaplan: Players will not be able to avoid combat entirely. What we strived for was a world where you could do other things besides just "grind" and still feel as though you are accomplishing goals. For instance, crafters might require certain reagents for their abilities that can be gathered from the land. However, if they happened to get jumped by a bear while collecting that herb or piece of ore, well, they better be ready to fight or flee.

After all, this is the world of WARcraft.

GameSpy: How important are guilds to the initial designs for WoW?

Kaplan: One of the single most important aspects to any MMO is the player community. Anything that encourages or facilitates player interaction needs to be put in the forefront. Guilds will play a key role for players to bond and enjoy game content, as well as normal social interaction within World of Warcraft. Also, at the higher levels, there will be raid content, which is being designed specifically with guilds in mind.

GameSpy: What tools will be available within the game for guild masters to manage their members?

Kaplan:Guild Masters will be able to assign and promote players through various ranks, set the guild message of the day, and design their guild's own unique tabard.

GameSpy: Will guild halls be released with the game, and what specific privileges will be associated with them?

Kaplan: Guild halls will not be released with the game. We have a very robust player housing system which includes guild-specific content. Many of the backend programming is already complete on the housing system, but we do not anticipate that our player housing system will ship with the initial product. We want it to be perfect first.

GameSpy: Will guilds be able to purchase other in-game items such as real estate, ships, businesses, parts of the griffin transportation network, or set up their own sections of a city?

Kaplan: We are definitely interested in allowing guilds to be able to own certain areas, as well as participate in player-run businesses, but this would also fall under our player housing module.